1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to garment hangers, in general, and, more particularly, to hangers for garments having relatively small collar or neck openings.
2. Prior Art
Many garment hangers are known in the art. The known hangers have many shapes and configurations related to specific uses of the hangers. One such use is a hanger for use with a garment having a relatively small neck opening.
The most pertinent prior art known discloses a hanger structure wherein the hanger support structure (hook) and the hanger arms are specifically interrelated with a convex, angulated leg extension of the hanger support structure in order to effectively lengthen the perimeter distance along one hanger arm while still achieving a common interconnection location between upper ends of the two shoulder supports of the hanger and the lower end of the angular leg extension of the hook.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,420 to Petty discloses a wire clothes hanger for a garment having "a comparatively small neck." However, the Petty hanger requires an integrally associated garment retaining means to hold the garment on the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,423 to Wagar et al discloses a wire hanger potentially usable for clothes having small neck openings. The lower end of one hanger shoulder support is joined by a continuous wire to the upper end of the other shoulder support. However the Wagar et. al. '423 hanger has geometric restrictions and is relatively inconvenient and cumbersome to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,727 to Joseph discloses a plastic hanger for garments having a small neck opening but requires a J-slot configuration of the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,653 to Joseph discloses a plastic hanger for garments having a small neck opening but requires an "angled knee" in the hook portion of the hanger.
There is a need for new and improved clothes hangers which are adapted for use with small-necked garments and which overcome and avoid such prior art problems. The present invention satisfies this need.